Latch



March 15, 1938. c w GESKE 2,111,064

LATCH Filed June 15, 1936 Patented Mar. 15, 1938 2,i,tt

LATCH Carl W. Geske, Grand Rapids, Mich., Winters & Crampton Corporation,

assignor to Grandvillc,

Mich., a corporation oi Michigan Application June 15, 1986, Serial No. 85,315

7 Claims.

This invention relates to latches used for.releasably retaining hingedly mounted doors in closed position.

The latch which I have produced is particularly adapted for use with refrigerator doors though not limited in use to refrigerators.

of the present invention to provide It is a primary object and purpose a latch by means of which a very soft and easy release of the door from the latch may be had, yet the latch bolt or dog, when engaged with the keeper, serves to hold the door in snugly closed position. The invention is a relatively simple structure whereby it is economically produced at a low cost,

its installation upon the refrigerator is inexpensive, and substantially all parts readily produced from economy of production.

The invention for the attainment thereof are sheet metal, this aiding in of the ends stated, as well as others not at this time enumerated, may be understood from the following description, taken in connection with panying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a side the accomelevation of the latch and its keeper, fragmentary portions of the door and the door casing being shown.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the structure shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken through the latch and keeper in a plane parallel to the face of the refrigerator.

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the latch and keeper in a plane at right angles to the face of the refrigerator, showing the door latched in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a view like that shown in Fig. 4, illustrating the operation and the position of the parts in the act of closing the door.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Figs. 4 a

nd 5, showing the operation and the position of the parts in the act of unlatching the door.

Fig. '7 is a transverse section through the upper part of the latch, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary sectional keeper showing the manner tached at the edge of the door.

view of the in which it is at- Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The refrigerator is of a conventional structure including the inner frame struct is ordinarily covered with a metal ure I which covering 2.

At the front of the refrigerator there are provided an opening or openings for do ors 3 which are hingedly mounted and which, around their edges and at vided with rubber gaskets 4 so tha their inner sides, are usually proi when the door is closed the gasket makes a seal against the entrance of the outside warmer air and seals against the escape of the refrigerated air within the refrigerator.

At the free vertical edge of the door 3 the keeper which is used with the latch is connected.

In practice (see Fig. 8), a

mounting plate 5 is permanently secured to the door and may be bent at an angle as indicated at 6 and thence extended outwardly as shown at 1, in a plane parallel to the section 5. A keeper plate 8 is secured to the outer side of the extension i by means of short screws preferably, or any other suitable connections could be used,

and the lower edge of the plate 8 is rolled into a bead 9 (Figs. 4, 5 and 6) which directly engages with the latch bolt or dog of the latch which is mounted upon the door casing thereof preferably below the keeper.

For the sake of appearanc and 8 are covered with a e the keeper parts i suitable ornamental sheet metal housing ID of appropriate design and which in practice is plated tive appearance.

to present an attrac- The edges of the housing are snapped over three edges of the plate 8, the side of the keeper where the bead 9 is located being open so that the latch dog may partially enter the same when the door is closed, as shown in Fig. 4.

The latch construction comprises a supporting member of channel shape, having a web II with spaced apart outwardly extending flanges I2 of the form shown. This supporting member is secured to the door casing as by screws l3 passing therethrough into shown in Fig. 4.

the door casing as A pivot pin it, on which a latch bolt or dog I5 is mounted for pivotal movement, extends across and is supported at its ends by the opposed flanges l2 of the support described, the pivot pin I4 and the latching dog being located adjacent the upper end of the its inner side is slotted at I through the dog across the support. The dog at 6 and a pin l1 passes slot as shown. A bar l8, stamped from flat metal, is located lengthwise between the flanges l2 and at its upper end is provided with a slot 19 th I! passes. The slot I9 is when the pivot rough which the pin of a form such that pin is at one end as shown in Fig.

4, that part of the slot in which the pin I1 is located is substantially horizontal while the other part of the slot extends downwardly and inward- 1y toward the base or web ll of the support. The bar 18 at an intermediate point is provided with a vertical slot 20 through the ends of the pin exten which a pin 2| passes,

ding to and through the flanges l2 of the support. A coiled compression spring 22 of relatively heavy' character is located around the intermediate portion of the bar l8, hearing at its lower end against the pin 2 l, and at its upper end against a shoulder which is made by reducing the cross sectional area of the bar I8. A light compression spring 23 is disposed between the base of the web II and the lower end portion of the bar I8, which lower end portion is curved downwardly and outwardly as shown.

An operating member 24, to manually operate the bar I8, is made of sheet metal in a substantially channel form and has inwardly extending sides passing between the upper end portions of the sides I2 of the support and is pivotally mounted upon the pin i4 previously described. The lower outwardly curved end of the bar l8 extends into the lower portion of the operating member 24. The latch structure described is covered by a covering housing 25 of the thin sheet metal which, together with the operating member 24, is appropriately plated for appearance purposes. The housing 25 has an elongated vertical slot and the inner edges of the operating member 24 are provided with outwardly extending lips so that the operating member 24 is limited as to its outward position with respect to the housing 25 by said lips as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. The housing 25 is likewise snapped over the base plate or web II of the support covering the mechanism whereby an outer appearance is presented as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Assuming the door to be open, in closing the door the keeper bead 9 rides against the outwardly curved cam edge of the latch bolt or dog I5 turning the same in a counterclockwise direction about its pivot as shown in Fig. 5. The pin l1, carried by the latching dog l5, engages against the horizontal shoulder of the slot l9 in the bar I 8 thereby moving the bar in a downward direction and compressing the spring 22 (Fig. 5) until the head 9 has passed beyond the nose of the dog, whereupon said latching dog is moved in a clockwise direction about the pivot I4 by the force of the compressed spring 22 into the latching position shown in Fig. 4. The force of the heavy spring 22 thereupon acts to wedge the door into tightly closed position.

To open the door a pressure is exerted inwardly, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 6, against the lower end of the operating member 24. When a this occurs the bar I8 pivots about the pin 2| thereby causing the upper end of the bar I8 to swing to the right to the position shown in Fig. 6. The inclined upper edge of the slot I 9 rides against the pin l1 causing the dog to turn in a counterclockwise direction from its latching position shown in Fig. 4 to the position shown in Fig. 6, freeing the keeper from the latching dog, whereupon the door may be opened. The opening of the door usually is through the operation of a spring actuating plunger mounted on the easily attached in place on the refrigerator door and door casing and has no parts which readily get out of order.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A latch construction comprising, an elongated support having a base and spaced apart sides extending from the base, a latching dog pivotally mounted on and between the sides of said support near one end thereof, said dog being adapted to project beyond said end of the support and having a slot at its inner side, a pin carried by said dog and extending across the slot therein, a bar located longitudinally of and between the sides of the support having a slot at one end therein, said slot having two branches located at an angle to each other, said pin carried by the dog passing through said slot and an end of the bar extending into the slot in the latching dog, means for pivotally and slidably mounting said bar at a point intermediate its length, and spring means associated with the bar normally tending to move the bar in a direction to project the dog beyond the end of the sup port, the free end of said bar being turned outwardly beyond the sides of the support whereby it may be manually operated.

2. A construction containing the elements in combination defined in claim 1, combined with an elongated operating member of substantially channel form having a web and inwardly extending flanges therefrom disposed one at each side of the latching dog and pivotally mounted upon the same pivotal mounting as the latching dog, said operating member extending lengthwise of the support and beyond the free end of said bar, with the free end of the bar disposed between the flanges of said operating member and against the web thereof, as specified.

3. In a latch construction, a channel support, a latching dog pivotally mounted between the channel members thereof, a spring actuated bar pivotally and slidably connected with the latch ing dog adapted to move the dog in one direction and yield upon the application of force applied to the dog to move in the opposite direction, and means for pivotally and slidably mounting the bar between its ends whereby-manual operation of the free end of the bar retracts the dog without affecting said spring means, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. In a latch construction, a. support having spaced apart sides, a latching dog pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the support and adapted to project beyond said end of said support, a bar having a slot at one end located lengthwise between the sides of the support, a pin connected with the latching dog and passing through the slotted end of the bar, said bar also having a longitudinal slot between its ends, a second pin passing through the longitudinal slot carried by the support, and a relatively heavy spring around the bar seated at one end on said second pin and at the other end engaging with the bar, the free end of the bar being adapted to be manually operated, a relatively light compression spring disposed between the support and the free end portion of said bar, said spring being compressed upon manual operation of the bar.

5. In a latch construction, a support having spaced apart sides, a latching dog pivotally mounted adjacent one end of the support and adapted to project beyond said end of said supiii) port, a bar having a slot at one and located lengthwise between the sides the support, a pin connected with the latching dog and passing through the slotted end of the bar, said bar also having a longitudinal slot between its ends, a second pin passing through the longitudinal slot and carried by the support. and a relatively heavy spring around the bar seated at one end on said second pin and at the other end engaging with the bar, the free end of the bar being adapted to be manually operated, an operating member pivotaliy mounted on said support and extending over the free end of the bar and adapted to be turned about its pivotal mounting to engage the free end of the bar to manually operate the same.

6. In a latch construction, an elongated support having spaced apart sides. a latching dog pivotally mounted on and between the sides of the support adjacent one end thereof and adapted to project partially beyond the end of said support, a bar disposed longitudinally between the sides of the support having a pin and slot connection with said dog at one end of the bar,

spring means, an operating member pivotally mounted upon the support and extended lengthwise of the support over the free end of said bar, whereby pressure against the free end portion of said operating member pivotally actuates said bar.

'7. In a latch construction, an elongated support having spaced apart sides, a latching dog pivotally mounted on and between the sides of the support adjacent one end thereof and adapted to project partially beyond the end of said support, a bar disposed longitudinally between the sides of the support having a pin and slot connection with said dog at one end of the bar, means for plvotally and slidably mounting the bar at an intermediate portion thereof on the support, and spring means acting on the bar to normally project the dog outwardly beyond the end of the support, the free end of the bar adapted to be manually operated to pivotally turn said bar and retract the dog without affecting said spring means, an elongated actuating member pivotally mounted upon said support adjacent the end thereof at which the dog is located, said operating member extending lengthwise of the support and over the free end of said bar, and a housing covering said support and having a slot in which said operating member is located and in front of which it extends, as specified. 

